Thursday, December 31, 2015

Hope you all had a merry Christmas and are gearing up for a great new year! I've loved all the family time and celebrating traditions with cousins. It's so much fun to have our girls ask about our traditions--they are theirs now too. One of them has become a sewn gift from me to my girls. Scarlett asked if I would be sewing something for them again this year, "because it's a tradition." Well, yes!

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

We all have our lists of things we want to do to celebrate Christmas, and if you are similar to me you toss half of them along the way. Time is short and I keep telling myself I don't want so many projects that I miss just spending time with people! Well this tree pillow is a quick sew that will make you feel like you added a handmade touch to your holidays. It's perfect for a gift too.

I created this project for the BERNINA blog, WeAllSew. They have a great series of projects and daily giveaways this month for the Christmas countdown. You can find my Felt Christmas Tree Pillow tutorial here.

I just love wool felt and felted pom poms. This pillow has a hand stitched look thanks to a specialty stitch option on my BERNINA 580--the only actual hand stitching is on the pom poms.

I hope you are making progress on your holiday list and enjoying time with the ones you love.

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Oh what fun it is to have a big, brand new bag! I was so thrilled when I was asked to be a part of the book tour for Lotta Jansdotter's Everyday Style because the book had been sitting in my cart for sometime, waiting for the release. I love Lotta's simple modern style and clean lines. And I was excited to do some sewing inspired by it.

There are so many great, versatile projects in this book! The book is organized by season and all of the patterns work year round. That's such a bonus because I love it when I find a pattern I like and can iterate on it in every season by changing the fabrics and adding and subtracting layers. I'm especially excited about the a-line skirts in this book and can't wait to try one in a wool.

But in the meantime I've got lots of projects for others to tackle and a lot of places to be and a lot of shopping to do and lots of gifts to deliver by Christmas. So a giant bag is the perfect solution. This Wilma Tote meets the challenge of December easily. I love it in this bold cotton canvas from IKEA with some of Lotta's cat quilting cotton from her Lucky collection for Windham for the lining.

This project sewed up simply and quickly despite my scatter brained state. It will be such a pleasure to some some more after the holidays.

Maybe this book is just what you need for the holidays! One of my readers will win Everyday Style, one of Lotta's fat quarters, Lotta's temporary tatoos, and Lotta washi tape. For a chance to win this great package enter here by December 23rd. A random winner will be selected!

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Coffee Cake is a recipe that deserves a revival. I hadn't made one in years but I remember my husband enjoying it the last time I did, so for his birthday breakfast I scoured recipes and came up with my own ultimate coffee cake recipe.

It's beautiful baked in a bundt pan or a tube pan. A bit more dressed up and so perfect for a holiday brunch or dessert. We aren't coffee drinkers but it doesn't stop us from enjoying this traditional accompaniment. I served hot cider with this cake and it was delicious.

The sour cream in this recipe ensures that the cake is moist, the brown sugar cinnamon struesel creates a sweet crust, and the brown butter icing really puts this over the top! Yum.

Click through for the recipe.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

I want to keep sewing with the Pattern Anthology Unbiased Collection! Now that I'm converted to dresses as the easiest way to pull myself together in the morning, I need some more for Fall. I sewed the a-line version of this Denver Dress by Melly Sews for their launch tour and had been on the look for the right fabric to try the straight version, when I came across this funky camoflage knit at Jo-Ann. It was in the red tag section and it is likely in the "love it or hate it" category, but I love it. (You may recall I have a think for camoflage.)

I lengthened the pattern by about seven inches because I wanted a midi length dress. I think it works great with heels, but I've also worn it with a bootie, and I plan to throw on a cardigan and tall boots when the weather is colder.

Now the question is, with the great sweater knits out there, which is the right dress to sew next?

Monday, October 12, 2015

Hello friends. Like so many of you, I am smitten by the new Idle Wild Knits by Pattern Anthology for Riley Blake. And I was fortunate to receive some of it before it hits the stores (predicted for later this month).

This knit fabric is "Idle Wild Triangles" in Blue with some solid navy knit from Riley Blake for the neck tie. It is super soft and even more beautiful in person. Scarlett put it on and asked for pajamas because she wants to wear it around the clock.

The sewing pattern is the Metro Tee Dress, which I've been designing and playing with for some time now. I started with a short sleeve, round neck tee shirt for myself and have added a few iterations, such as a three-quarter sleeve for pushing up and a tie neck. Then I decided it would be a great pattern for girls too. And why not include a dress? Which then makes me think, and why not a dress for women too? And that's how it goes, which is why it's still in the works. That and the fact that my three little ladies keep me pretty busy.

Anyway, I was so happy for a chance to sew with this beautiful knit fabric! I'm sure this dress will be one of Scarlett's favorites. I have more of this fabric left so perhaps I'll make a Metro Tee for Tess. And after seeing the clothing popping up on the fabric tour I'm dreaming of the other Idle Wild fabrics and all the things I would do with them.

Monday, October 5, 2015

Some of the trends returning lately have taken a minute to sink in. Jumpsuits, for instance. (I'm on board now.) Culottes took a little less time but there was still a brief pause. The Little Denim Dress however? I was there immediately. I love the look. Chic, casual and comfortable all at once.

Especially if we are talking about stretch denim, which of course we are.

When I first saw Kelly's Lille pattern, I knew it would make the perfect LDD. While hunting for the right stretch denim (I found this at Hancock Fabrics) I made a Lille in gingham, but I couldn't wait to get to this.

I love it. It was nice to sew this pattern again, too, after making a few alterations for fit the first time around. You can find information about the Lille pattern at the Sew What Club. It was the women's pattern for their first month's subscription.

I decided not to line the dress because I didn't want to interfere with the stretch denim. So I used bias tape to finish the neck and sleeves. This red, white and blue tape had been in my stash for some time. I still want to use it in a starring role but it's my little secret in this LDD.

Another not-so-secret is the fact that I left out the zipper! I thought I'd try to squeeze in the dress with the back seam basted to check the fit before installing the zipper and it went on so easily I decided to stop there. I must admit it's a bit awkward getting it off so I may install one at some point but for now I've just stitched the back closed.

It's been fun wearing this dress with gold heels, but I'm also looking forward to pulling on some boots and adding a cardigan for cooler weather. Maybe a wrap cardigan sewn in a sweater knit. There's one in the pipeline from Delia for this month's Sew What Club subscription and I can't wait.

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

When I saw the Maren dress pattern designed by Jessica (CINO) for The Sew What Club, I knew it would be perfect for Tess! It's such a classic design for a little girl. I'm a big fan of the collar and dropped waist. This is one of the Septembers children's patterns that come with a subscription.

I sewed the Maren dress for Tess in a perfect rose pink vegan leather from Girl Charlee. The dress was for her birthday party, which had the palette of pink and gold so I doubled the collar and added one in gold too. The gold fabric is performance lycra from Jo-Ann.

I found a round gold button in my stash that was the right match. The single button closure makes it easy to put on this dress. Which is a good thing because Tess has been wearing this dress to every "dress occasion" since I sewed it.

Tess's birthday was not only a pink party, it was a pink puppy party! So I thought it would be fun to sew a matching purse with the party mascot on it. Stay tuned for a puppy purse tutorial.